Dual carbon goals spur green business into action

Editor's note: China Daily is publishing a series illustrating the efforts being made to achieve the country's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

At the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 22, 2020, President Xi Jinping announced that China would peak its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Five years on, the country has implemented a series of preferential policies to advance its dual carbon targets, and companies in the low-carbon domain are keenly aware of the transformative impacts the goals have had nationwide.

These ambitious goals stirred excitement among them, enabling them to swiftly identify market opportunities and achieve rapid business growth. Also driven by a strong belief in and passion for the low-carbon development trend, they serve as a microcosm of China's transition to a low-carbon future.

Before the official declaration of the dual carbon goals, entrepreneur Bai Yanhui had already pivoted her career toward building energy efficiency management — a move that positioned her to recognize firsthand how profoundly national climate commitments energize markets.

Originally specializing in centralized air conditioning and smart building controls, her firm, Nanjing Xiangtai System Technology Co, based in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, saw explosive early success. In the early 2010s, the company's revenue doubled yearly amid China's push for large-scale infrastructure expansion.

By 2015, however, Bai sensed looming stagnation in the infrastructure sector. "I could clearly foresee that China's infrastructure development was rapidly approaching a state of saturation.

"The company would face a developmental bottleneck. And there was nothing I could do to reverse this trend," she said.

To navigate impending headwinds, Bai spearheaded market studies at home and abroad, and was greatly inspired during a visit to Europe.

The pollution-free vistas in Europe that feature blue sky and white clouds helped her crystallize a new vision for her company to contribute to the restoration of blue skies, white clouds and clean air in China.